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Southern Class Ms
The Ms class 2-8-2s are a fleet of 182 2-8-2 mikados that were built for the Southern Railway (U.S.). History In the early 1910s, the Southern Railway was looking for a new freight locomotive to replace some of the aging 2-8-0s. William N. Finley, a Southern Railway official authorized the purchase of the first of 182 Mikado type locomotives. In October 1911, locomotive 37085 (Southern 4501), a class 12-48 1/4 E 2-8-2, rolled out of the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and became the first of her 182 siblings. These locomotives were built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the American Locomotive Company from 1911 - 1914, plus an extra 5 engines built by Lima Locomotive Works in 1917. They had 63-inch driving wheels, a 175 psi boiler, 27" x 30" inch cylinders, a tractive effort of 51,638 lbs, and each weighed in at 134 - 136 tons (211 - 212 tons with tender). Their tenders could hold up to 8,000 gallons of water and 12 tons of coal. All of this class had Walschaerts gear except the following engines, which had Southern gear: 4579-4623, 4634-4635, and 6605. One interesting fact was that the Mobile & Ohio, the Wabash, and the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad also ordered similar locomotives to these. Beginning in 1915, at least seven of the Southern engines—4535-4539 and 4576—were fitted with a "tractor" on the tender, essentially converting the tender into a 2-8-0 with 18x24" cylinders. In place of the usual two bogie trucks, the design placed the tender tank and bunker on a frame that held the cylinders, Four evenly spaced axles holding 50" (1,270 mm) wheels and a single axle at the front with 30" (762 mm) wheels. (The Erie and Virginian Triplexes used similar tender engines.) Thus equipped, the tender weighed 230,000 lb (104,326 kg( fully loaded and developed 23,100 lb (10,478 kg) starting tractive effort. (4561 received a 2-6-0 tender engine set up.) The July 1917 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine described the result as a "duplex" engine and said the design was a response to congestion on the 68-mile (109.5 km), notoriously adversely graded, single-tracked Saluda grade in western North Carolina. In service, the PM article claimed, the duplex could move 30% more tons per train than could its non-duplex duplicate. A moment's thought will show that as the boiler and grate weren't enlarged, this bonus had limited duration before the whole assembly ran out of puff. Another problem, which to a lesser extent also affected Beyer-Garratt locomotives, was that as the tender used up its water and coal, its factor of adhesion dropped considerably with greater slipping and loss of traction. It's also not clear to Locobase how steam admission was coordinated between the large cylinders forward and the smaller cylinders behind. As might be expected, the tender tractors were removed in a few years. In the 1930s, these locomotives were rebuilt to a more USRA style with the headlight being moved from the top of the smokebox in front of the smokestack, to the middle of the smokebox door. Between 1939 and 1940, 14 engines were retired as a result when the Southern purchased it's first diesel locomotives. However, when the United States entered World War 2 on December 7, 1941, all retirements of this class stopped to help keep the war machine going. Some of these locomotives were also given modifications, such as a feedwater heater, bigger tenders, a shorter cab to conserve space which gave them a brutish look, and a mechanical stoker. After the war, these locomotives continued to serve the Southern with glory for a few more years. However, with the promise of dieselization, these engines couldn't compete with the new technology. The first locomotives to be retired were engines #4546, #4603, #4616, and #6282 between June and October 1947, after that, the official retirements of the class began. The AGS based engines were retired between 1949 and 1951 while the V&SW based engines went down between 1939 and 1952. Between 1949 and 1952, the CNO&TP and Southern based engines were dropping like flies and by June 1953, only a few of these machines were left on the Southern's active roster. In September 1953, the last Ms class 2-8-2s, #4577 and #4613, were sold for scrap to the Granite City Steel Company of Granite City, Illinois. Batches These were the batches of locomotives that were built * #4501 - 4533 (built by Baldwin in October 1911) * #4534 - 4552, (built by Baldwin in 1912) * #4553 - 4578, (built by Baldwin in January 1913) * #4579 - 4603, (built by Baldwin in 1914) * #4604 - 4623, (built by ALCo in 1914) * #4623 - 4630, (built by Baldwin in 1911) (assigned to the V&SW subsidiary) * #4631 - 4633, (built by Baldwin in 1913) (assigned to the V&SW subsidiary) * #4634 - 4635, (built by ALCo in 1914) (assigned to the V&SW subsidiary) * #6250 - 6261, (built by Baldwin in October 1911) (assigned to the CNO&TP subsidiary) * #6262 - 6274, (built by Baldwin in November 1911) (assigned to the CNO&TP subsidiary) * #6275 - 6284, (built by Baldwin in February 1913) (assigned to the CNO&TP subsidiary) * #6600 - 6604, (built by Baldwin in 1913) (assigned to the AGS subsidiary) * #6605, (built by ALCo in 1914) (assigned to the AGS subsidiary) * #6606 - 6611, (built by Lima in 1917) (assigned to the AGS subsidiary) Years Retired Still under construction...... '1939 - '''4502, 4504, 4582, 4588, 4589, 4593, 4604, 4612, 4633 '''1940 - '''6258, 6264, 6269, 6273, 6281 '''1947 -' 4546, 4548, 4603, 4616, 6282 '1948 -' 4501 '1949 - '''4506, 4508, 4509, 4510, 4512, 4514, 4515, 4516, 4518, 4521, 4522, 4524, 4531, 4532, 4533, 4538, 4539, 4540, 4542, 4543, 4549, 4553, 4554, 4555, 4556, 4559, 4560, 4573, 4574, 4575, 4581, 4585, 4591, 4594, 4599, 4601, 4608, 4609, 4614, 4615, 4617, 4620, 4622, 4625, 4627, 6252, 6253, 6255, 6261, 6263, 6265, 6267, 6276, 6277, 6600, 6603, 6606, 6607, 6608, 6609 '''1950 - '''4503, 4511, 4530, 4550, 4563, 4567, 4568, 4572, 4578, 4580, 4583, 4587, 4595, 4597, 4611, 4623, 4630, 6250, 6268, 6271, 6279, 6283, 6284, 6604, 6605, 6610, 6611 '''1951 - '''4507, 4513, 4519, 4520, 4525, 4529, 4534, 4535, 4536, 4537, 4545, 4547, 4557, 4558, 4562, 4565, 4569, 4570, 4576, 4584, 4586, 4598, 4600, 4605, 4606, 4607, 4624, 4628, 4634, 4635, 6256, 6259, 6262, 6266, 6270, 6272, 6274, 6275, 66001, 6602 '''1952 - '''4505, 4517, 4526, 4527, 4541, 4544, 4551, 4552, 4561, 4564, 4566, 4571, 4579, 4590, 4592, 4596, 4602, 4618, 4619, 4621, 4631, 4632, 6251, 6254, 6260, 6280 '''1953 -' 4523, 4528, 4577, 4610, 4613, 6278 Preservation After retirement from the Southern's roster in October 1948, #4501 was sold to the Kentucky & Tennessee Railroad for $8,225.75 and became the K&T's #12. She continued to work on the line hauling coal down from the mines at Oz to the Southern Railway interchange at Stearns. When the K&T purchased 3 ALCO S-4 diesels from the D&RGW in February 1964, she was sold to Paul Merriman for $5,000 of his own money and she arrived at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in June 1964 and underwent a restoration. In 1966, #4501 was restored and painted up in the famous Southern green and gold paint scheme and became the first locomotive to take part in the Southern Railway's steam program. She returned to her black livery in October 1996 and was taken out of service on September 20, 1998. On September 5, 2014, after a 16 year absence #4501 was back in operation and continues to give rides at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum today. During the restoration, 4501 was given a few modernizations, such as a replica Worthington Type SA feedwater heater from a China Railways QJ, a mechanical stoker from a Canadian National 4-6-2 and automatic lubricators from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in England; her boiler pressure was also re-certified from 200 psi (1.38 mPa) to 205 psi (1.41 mPa), which gives a slight boost to her tractive effort. Gallery File:4577.jpg|4577 after being built by Baldwin in 1913, this is what the class looked like when they were new. She was scrapped at the Granite City Steel Mill in September 1953. File:Southern 4576.jpg|#4576 (Baldwin, 1913) seen with a coal train at Melrose, North Carolina at the base of Saluda Grade in 1937. She was scrapped in October 1951. File:Southern 6261.jpg|Southern #6261 (formerly CN&TP #911), built by Baldwin in 1911. She was scrapped in December 1949. File:Southern 6604.jpg|#6604 (formerly AGS #305) was built by Baldwin in 1913. She retired in January 1950. File:Southern 4541.jpg|#4541 (Baldwin 1912). She was scrapped on April 3rd, 1952 at the Baltimore Steel Company. File:Southern railway 6603.jpg|Southern Railway #6603 (formerly AGS #304), built in 1913 by Baldwin. She retired in October 1949. File:Southern railway 4617.jpg|Southern Railway #4617. Built by ALCo in 1914. She retired in December 1949. File:6271 at Durham, NC 1949.jpg|#6271 (formerly CNO&TP #921) at Durham, North Carolina in 1949. She retired in March 1950. File:Southern railway 4524.jpg|Southern Ms class 2-8-2 #4524. Built by Baldwin in 1911. She retired in April 1949. File:SOU4548 1.jpg|Southern 4548 was built by Baldwin in 1912. She was retired from service in October 1947. File:Southern railway 6611.jpg|Southern #6611 (formerly AGS #312) on the deadline in January 1950. She was built by Lima in 1917 File:Southern railway 6607.jpg|Southern Railway #6607 (formerly AGS #308) on the deadline in January 1950. She was built by Lima in 1917 and later retired in April 1949.]] File:Southern railway 6606.jpg|Southern #6606 (formerly AGS #307), built by Lima in 1917. She was retired from active duty in April 1949. File:Southern railway 4590.jpg|Southern Railway 4590. Built by Baldwin in 1914 and was scrapped in October 1952 at the Baltimore Steel Company. File:Southern railway 4545.jpg|Southern #4545. Built by Baldwin in 1912 and retired November 1951. File:AGS 306 1914.jpg|Alabama Great Southern #306 during her early years. She was built by ALCo-Richmond in 1914 and later became Southern #6605. She later retired in May 1950. File:CNO&TP 2-8-2 934.jpg|Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific #934's builder's photo. She was built by Baldwin in 1913 and later became Southern #6284. She was scrapped in June 1950. File:V&SWRR 110.jpg|Virginia & Southwestern Railroad #110's builder's photo. She was built by Baldwin in 1913 and later became Southern #4633. She was retired from service on March 25th, 1939 and was later scrapped. File:Southern 4598 near Granite, Virginia.jpg|#4598 with a freight train near Granite, Virginia in 1948 along Saluda Grade. The locomotive was built by Baldwin in 1914 and later retired in August 1951. File:-4538 up Sauda Hill in 1937.jpg|#4538 with a freight train on Saluda Grade in 1937. She was built by Baldwin in 1912 and later retired in April 1949. File:Southern 4563.jpg|Southern #4563 when she was built by Baldwin in 1913. She served the southern until her retirement in 1950. File:Sou4506.jpg File:Southern 4505.jpg|Southern #4505. Built by Baldwin in 1911, scrapped April 3rd, 1952. File:Southern 4529.jpg|#4529 was built by Baldwin in 1911, she served the Southern until her retirement in September 1951. File:Southern 4542.jpg|#4542 was built by Baldwin in 1912. She was retired in December 1949. File:Southern 4550.jpg|Southern #4550 was built by Baldwin in 1912 and was later retired in January 1950. File:SOU4598derailed1951.jpg|#4598 (built by Baldwin in 1914) derailed at Trenton, South Carolina on April 18th, 1951. File:SOU4505 on saluda grade aug 3 1950.jpg|#4505 on Saluda Grade on August 3rd, 1950. File:SOU4511 1.jpg|#4511 at Richmond, Virginia on March 30th, 1940. She was built by Baldwin in 1911 and saw service on the Southern until March 1950 when she was retired from service. File:SOU4514.jpg|#4514 at Asheville, North Carolina on April 2nd, 1934. She was built in 1911 by Baldwin and served the Southern until her retirement in December 1949. File:SOU4518.jpg|#4518 at Asheville, North Carolina at an unknown date. She was built in 1911 by Baldwin (serial number 37131) and was retired from duty in November 1949. File:SOU4524 2.jpg|#4524 again, but this time later rebuilt. File:Southern railway 6603.jpg|#6603 seen at Atlanta, Georgia on August 31st, 1947. She was built by Baldwin in 1913 originally as Alabama Great Southern #304. She was retired from service in October 1949. File:SOU4608.jpg|#4608 seen at Atlanta, Georgia on December 28th, 1947. She was built by ALCo-Richmond in 1914 and saw service until March 1949. File:SOU4549.jpg|#4549 at Atlanta, Georgia on April 3rd, 1948. She was later retired in November 1949. File:SOU6276.jpg|#6276 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was built by Baldwin in 1913 as CNO&TP #926 and was later retired in October 1949. File:SOU6275.jpg|#6275 also at Charlotte, North Carolina. Possibly around the same time as her sibling, #6276. Built in 1913 by Baldwin as CNO&TP #925. She was retired from service in August 1951. File:SOU4619.jpg|#4619 at Charlotte, North Carolina on July 10th, 1932. She was later retired on March 4th, 1952 and sold to the Baltimore Steel Company for scrap. File:SOU4634.jpg|#4634 at Charlotte, North Carolina on April 25th, 1934. File:SOU4597.jpg|#4597 awaiting repairs at Charlotte, North Carolina on March 31st, 1936. She was later scrapped after retirement in May 1950. File:SOU4596.jpg|#4596 at Charlotte, North Carolina on April 22nd, 1937. She was retired from service in December 1952 and was sold for scrap at the Granite City Steel Company. File:SOU4568.jpg|#4568 (built by Baldwin in 1913) seen at Charlotte, North Carolina on May 15th, 1937. File:SOU4537.jpg|#4537 awaiting repairs at Charlotte, North Carolina on May 21st, 1937. File:SOU4537-0.jpg|#4537 seen at Columbus, South Carolina on March 4th, 1940. File:SOU4592.jpg|#4592 seen at Columbia, South Carolina on March 14th, 1940. File:SOU4578.jpg|#4578 (built by Baldwin in 1913) at Columbia, South Carolina on May 11th, 1941. File:SOU4603.jpg|#4603 (Baldwin, 1913) at Columbia, South Carolina on May 11th, 1941. File:SOU4557.jpg|#4557 (Built by Baldwin in 1913) seen at Johnson City, Tennessee in 1944. File:SOU6260.jpg File:SOU6253.jpg|#6253 (built by Baldwin in 1911) originally was CNO&TP #903. She later retired from service in March 1949. File:SOU6602.jpg|#6602 (Built by Baldwin in 1913) sou4576.jpg|Southern Railway #4576 was one of two Ms locomotives to have a tender rebuilt using the frame of a 2-8-0. sou4537.jpg|Southern Railway 4537 was the other example of having a tender rebuilt with a 2-8-0 frame, this one with walschaerts valve gear. Category:Southern Railway Locomotives Category:Baldwin locomotives Category:2-8-2 Locomotives Category:2-8-2 Steam Locomotives Category:American Locomotives Category:Steam Locomotives Category:Tender Engines